Entire Value Chain Research Articles

Sustainable pharma: The need, current status and mission for the future

''Good health and well-being" (SDG3) is one of the 17 integrated sustainable development goals (SDG) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. When it comes to health and well-being, pharmaceuticals play a vital role. Pharmaceutical waste and contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) produced during the manufacturing, supply, usage and disposal of drugs, chemicals and personal care products can significantly affect the environment. Some serious global problems have been attributed, at least partly, to the prevalent practices in this sector. With increased awareness, regulations and corporate environmental responsibility, the pharmaceutical industry is making efforts toward sustainability through measures like green production, green technology, improved supply chains, collaborations and strategic partnerships. However, the need is still felt for additional measures to be incorporated into the practice like a circular economy, based on the 4Rs (reduce, recycle, reuse, recover); Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used to recognise the best way to obtain maximum yield with minimum cost from available resources in an environment-friendly manner for the benefit of society; encouraging the use of renewable energy and promoting research focused on environmental supportive and profitable measures. The journey towards sustainable pharma is complex and requires collaboration across the entire value chain from all the stakeholders, but the benefits to society, the environment and the industry are profound and far-reaching.

Risk Management in Photovoltaic Energy Projects: A Portugal Case Study

Energy sources and the overall energy system are currently experiencing significant instability. The combination of high demand and reduced supply results in the emergence of new sources of risk throughout the entire value chain. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is a limited literature focusing on risk management in energy projects, particularly in the context of photovoltaic energy projects. Consequently, a risk management methodology tailored to the specific requirements of a photovoltaic energy project was developed and implemented. This project entails the installation of a photovoltaic plant in the North of Portugal, with the goal of utilizing solar energy to generate 547,500.45 KWh of clean energy per year. Although the company responsible for the project already adhered to certain risk management guidelines, no formalized process has been previously implemented. An action-research approach was employed. Concurrently with the project’s development phase, a Risk Management Plan was created, and all the supporting documents were integrated, including a Risk Register, a guide for progress meetings, and a record of lessons learned. The findings revealed that risk monitoring and control enabled better control of the project execution processes, adherence to various project schedules, effective risk management by maximizing positive impacts and minimizing negative ones, the facilitation of agile decision-making, and the recording of lessons learned regarding the risk management process. Additionally, an unexpected outcome emerged from the research - the importance of communication among teams involved in risk management. This research has made significant contributions towards improving the management of photovoltaic energy projects by developing processes, methods, and templates specifically tailored to these unique projects. These findings can be utilized in future projects with similar characteristics, enabling more efficient and effective risk management.

Leveraging digital solutions for enhanced sustainability management in production systems: a case study in Baden-Württemberg

The industrial transition towards sustainable production systems is a fundamental step for companies to achieve environmental, social and economic goals. This transition includes implementing sustainable practices across the entire value chain, by which sustainability management can quickly become data intensive and increasingly complex. The integration of digital solutions into sustainability management can massively increase the efficiency of data collection and aggregation, prevent errors and data inconsistencies, besides further supporting industrial decision-making based on sustainability data evaluation. This paper presents a case study with a manufacturing company in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, in which its sustainability management system is evaluated and screened for digital optimization opportunities. The development and creation of a digital solution concept is comprised of the initial assessment through a detailed requirement analysis, then a systematically determination of an information system architecture that fulfills all requirements and can be implemented to improve the sustainability performance of the company. This developed approach assists the company to reach environmental reporting obligations through the continuous evaluation of internal sustainability KPIs. The insights gained and the developed concept can further support other companies in making their sustainability management more efficient and transparent through digitalization.

APPLICATION OF TWISTER SUPERSONIC GAS-LIQUID SEPARATOR FOR IMPROVED NATURAL GAS RECOVERY IN A PROCESS STREAM

Natural gas is one of the most precious natural resources that generates foreign earnings for its host nation. Energy is the building block of modern society and natural gas is one of the cleanest primary energy sources. The production and subsequent recovery of natural gas is a challenging aspect of the entire natural gas value chain. One of the problems associated with natural gas utilization is the extraction and conditioning of the gas, as most of the fractions are extracted with certain percentages of water and other contaminants. To solve the problem of liquid carryover and gas entrainment in gas processing and recover an excellent volume of gas, several types of gas separators have been developed. This case study aims to solve the problem of gas wastage and recurrent plant downtime. Notore Chemical Industries is our focus as one of the largest natural gas consumers, situated in Rivers State Nigeria. The company has several plant downtimes due to the inefficiency of the conventional separator. The inefficiency of the installed knock-out drum separator in dispersing the condensate from the feed supplied by Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) and delivering the required dry gas to the plant battery limit has been one of the leading causes of the plant recording downtime. This work presents a reliable separation process using the Twister supersonic gas separator to recover a high percentage of dry natural gas (Methane). Feed gas data was collected from the plant after several visits and a computer-based simulation was conducted. From the simulation using the Aspen Hysys package, it was seen that the Twister supersonic gas separator is more efficient than the knockout drum separator. Less methane and less condensate were produced using the knockout drum separator at 0.699% and 0.092% respectively while the Twister supersonic gas separator produced methane and condensate at 95.15% and less condensate at 0.0047% respectively.

Responsible consumption in the context of ESG transformation of the economy

The formation and development of responsible consumption arise in the context of digital transformation, generational change, international certification systems creation, and the growth of environmental consciousness. The term “responsible consumption” has no clear category boundaries in the scientific literature. However, most authors emphasise the number of additional requirements in the entire product value chain emergence such as production technologies; corporate social responsibility programs; business processes transparency as well as their ethics; packaging specifics; certification availability; raw materials; and product performance characteristics. Digitalisation and development of the responsible consumers segment have a great impact on the business environment changing, contributing to the emergence of new market niches and ecological products, as well as other opportunities and risks. Business leaders need recommendations for adapting existing marketing strategies in the direction of building marketing ecosystems and new formats of communicating with the consumer. The paper describes a full range of digital marketing communications tools for interacting with responsible consumption followers. The authors propose to use influence-marketing to broadcast corporate values and key ideas of sustainable brand as well as its ecological image to the target audience. Trustworthy interaction between the company and responsible consumption trendsetters is possible through co-creation marketing; as a result, the additional value joint creation and the common solution of environmental, social, and economic problems formation happen in the frames of this interaction.

Financing of Renewable and Fossils Related Projects: A Critical Appraisal of Subsidies and Risks in South Sudan

The paper argues one of the greatest subjects in oil and gas industry known as project financing of renewable and fossils related projects. The importance of project financing is to assist in implementation of the projects related to renewable energy as well as fossil fuels. The paper appreciates the concept of subsidy and its various types. It argues impacts of implemented subsidies and related risks on the financing of new renewable energy projects amongst the developing countries. These impacts have been discussed on positive as well as negative wavelengths. Besides, the paper argues technical projects risks related with midstream and upstream oil and gas projects and found out that these risks are critical and must be identified and managed before commencing the projects. Moreover, the paper argues policy project risks related with downstream, midstream and upstream value-chain of oil and gas projects are imperative and must be addressed for successful project financing. While the paper notes various risks associated with projects financing of hydrocarbon resources, it analyses these risks, drawing similarities and variations between midstream and upstream oil and gas projects and offers ways of managing the risks. The paper dives on the importance of Joint Operating Agreements (JOAs) in projects financing. In addition, the paper assesses financing alternatives in stock to oil and gas upstream players and it discusses the financing of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) product which is sold in South Sudan as Liquid Purified Gas (LPG) and known in other countries as Liquid Natural Gas (LNG). The successful model of financing LNG/LPG is through united single operation with financing separate parts of the entire value chain in oil and gas industry. The paper deploys a case study of South Sudan, process-tracing and empirical literature review as a methodology for this study. It concludes that project financing of renewable and fossils related projects must be urgently prioritized by the governments and private institutions. Risk’s analysis must be carried out prior to any project financing and all the associated risks must be avoided. The paper recommends that project financing for renewable and fossils related projects must be conducted by the governments in charge of hydrocarbon resources and Government of South Sudan should take responsibility to finance its projects in this capital and technological intensive oil and gas industry in addition to giving subsidies to relieve citizens and manage associated risks.

An Inception of Value Chain Development of Sweet Orange; Kinesis to Food Security in the Developing Countries Scenario

Sweet orange is one of the major citrus fruits of Nepal which is widely cultivated in mid-hills. This paper assesses the value chain of sweet oranges cultivated in the Ramechhap district of Nepal, considering its economic significance for farmers. The study adopts a qualitative research approach, utilizing key informant interviews and focus group discussions with various stakeholders. Participants were selected based on a list of producers collected from the Prime-Minister Agricultural Modernization Project (PMAMP) Ramechhap district, and the snowball method was employed to identify other actors. This study revealed that the value chain of sweet oranges in the Ramechhap district involves growers, vendors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers as the main actors, while federal, provincial, and local agricultural service centres serve as enablers. Additionally, findings show vendors play a dominant role, in determining the per unit price and pressuring farmers to sell immediately after harvest due to limited storage capacity. Vendors are enjoying increased profit margins because they have greater bargaining power over farmers, who have inadequate storage facilities. The study suggests areas for improvement: using quality seedlings, managing nutrients effectively, and employing proper storage techniques like cold stores to prolong shelf-life and enhance quality, taste, and colour. Enhancing productivity via trifoliate rootstock, optimizing fruit quality, and extending shelf-life through improved storage facilities can substantially boost revenue for producers. Understanding the entire value chain provides insights into enhancing the overall performance of value chain actors. Further studies can explore additional dimensions of the chain in more depth.

Artificial Intelligence in the Construction Industry: A Systematic Review of the Entire Construction Value Chain Lifecycle

In recent years, there has been a surge in the global digitization of corporate processes and concepts such as digital technology development which is growing at such a quick pace that the construction industry is struggling to catch up with latest developments. A formidable digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), is recognized as an essential element within the paradigm of digital transformation, having been widely adopted across different industries. Also, AI is anticipated to open a slew of new possibilities for how construction projects are designed and built. To obtain a better knowledge of the trend and trajectory of research concerning AI technology application in the construction industry, this research presents an exhaustive systematic review of seventy articles toward AI applicability to the entire lifecycle of the construction value chain identified via the guidelines outlined by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The review’s findings show foremostly that AI technologies are mostly used in facility management, creating a huge opportunity for the industry to profit by allowing facility managers to take proactive action. Secondly, it shows the potential for design expansion as a key benefit according to most of the selected literature. Finally, it found data augmentation as one of the quickest prospects for technical improvement. This knowledge will assist construction companies across the world in recognizing the efficiency and productivity advantages that AI technologies can provide while helping them make smarter technology investment decisions.

Statistical Analysis of Post-Covid Impact on Market Economy

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is the source of the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2019, Wuhan, China, reported finding the virus for the first time. The World Health Organization declared that this increases a global public health emergency in January 2020. The impacts of COVID-19 are significantly harming the technology industry, influencing the availability of raw materials, upsetting the electronic value chain, and increasing the danger of inflation for goods. On the plus side, the disruption has accelerated remote working and de-risking of the entire value chain. This article focuses on many industries that are most negatively impacted by the pandemic and the strategies for fighting against both the coronavirus and economic situation.

Statistical Analysis of Post-Covid Impact on Market Economy

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is the source of the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2019, Wuhan, China, reported finding the virus for the first time. The World Health Organization declared that this increases a global public health emergency in January 2020. The impacts of COVID-19 are significantly harming the technology industry, influencing the availability of raw materials, upsetting the electronic value chain, and increasing the danger of inflation for goods. On the plus side, the disruption has accelerated remote working and de-risking of the entire value chain. This article focuses on many industries that are most negatively impacted by the pandemic and the strategies for fighting against both the coronavirus and economic situation.

Comparative investment decisions in emerging textile and FinTech industries in India using GARCH models with high-frequency data

The domestic textiles and apparel industry stood at $152 billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 12% to reach $225 billion by 2025. The textiles and apparel industry in India has strengths across the entire value chain from fibre, yarn, and fabric to apparel. On the other hand, many FinTech companies gained enough importance and attention during the Demonetization and COVID-19 pandemic situation where most people are dependent and prefer cashless payments and receipts over hard cash payments and receipts. Due to the growth of FinTech companies in India, consumer lending FinTech companies in India make up 17% of total FinTech enterprises. Many angel investors are coming forward to invest in such FinTech companies as this industry has much potential to grow in future. As there is enough scope for the expansion of FinTech companies in India, retail investors come forward to invest in the stocks of listed FinTech companies. As retail investors always look forward to returns either in the form of dividends or appreciation of stock prices, it is also necessary to analyse and model the stock price volatility of FinTech companies in India before investing. Hence, this research study is an attempt to use high-frequency data i.e. 1-minute closing prices, to formulate suitable GARCH (Generalised Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity) models for stock price volatility of listed textiles and FinTech companies that could also capture the asymmetric volatility if it exists due to third phase of COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war. The results concluded that there is a presence of positive shocks which might be due to the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that might have again shot the demand for financial products and services of these FinTech companies namely Paytm and PolicyBazaar and there is no negative shock of Russia-Ukraine war.

Development of an open-source carbon footprint calculator of the UK craft brewing value chain

Craft breweries may fall behind large brewing companies in reducing the carbon footprints of their value chains due to limited resources, financial constraints, and a lack of technical knowledge to fully understand their emissions. However, by increasing their awareness of the impact of their entire value chains, craft breweries can accelerate the decarbonisation of the industry by creating competition among breweries to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. This work developed a freely available carbon calculator (10.6084/m9.figshare.22758692) using transparent, open-source data which may be used for benchmarking and identifying opportunities for emission reductions in UK craft breweries as well as providing a reference point for future carbon footprint analyses of global brewing value chains. The carbon footprint for craft brewing was calculated for a wide range of packaging types across three realistic scenarios (low, medium, and high carbon footprints) based on collected data and addresses the discrepancies between values reported in previous literature. Overall, the calculated carbon footprints ranged between 205 (20 L steel kegs, low carbon footprint scenario) and 1483 (single-use, 0.33 L glass bottles, high carbon footprint scenario) gCO2e per litre of beer. Novel hotspots (including wort boiling, the packaging process in a brewery, and the contribution of secondary and tertiary packaging) were identified. The overwhelming contribution of Scope 3 emissions (contributing between 57 and 95 % of the total carbon footprint) further emphasised the need to provide increased knowledge to craft breweries.

Current and potential pest threats for canola in the Canadian Prairies.

Canola/oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) production in Canada has increased to become a foundational crop in the Canadian Prairies and an important economic driver of this region. The increase in seeded area, and by association its reduction in-crop rotation frequency, has made it easier for pests to overcome current recommended agronomic management practices. The Canola Council of Canada has been successful in involving the entire commodity value chain in promoting and strengthening the Canadian canola industry; however, because of this production increase it is critically important to understand, evaluate and mitigate the potential risks of canola yield losses to current and potential pests. This Perspective provides an overview of what are currently the most damaging insects, pathogens and weeds to canola in the Canadian Prairies, potential future threats and opportunities farmers, agronomists and researchers can take to minimize these risks. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Digitalization and agricultural transformation in developing countries: Empirical evidence from Tanzania agriculture sector

Agribusiness can potentially increase value for agriculture and the entire value chain, but it is hard to achieve these goals without digitalising the sector. The transformation reforms modern technology and digital infrastructure adoption to facilitate growth and inclusivity. These conditions make the agricultural digitization transformation more appealing. Therefore, using a survey of 400 smallholder farmers in four regions of Rukwa, Ruvuma, Morogoro and Tabora, this study examines the interplay between digitalization and agriculture transformation in Tanzania by focusing on the determinants and effects of digitalization on smallholder farmers' welfare. The study used the double hurdle model to estimate the determinants and extent of digitalization adoption; the Two-stage least square (2SLS) and the Control function approach (CFA) to estimate its effects on smallholder farmers' welfare. The findings revealed that access to credit (0.17428, p < 0.01), extension services (0.52884, p < 0.01), education and government support (0.10922, p < 0.05) are key determinants for agricultural digitalization. Moreover, digitalization was found to influence smallholder farmers' welfare significantly. The benefits of digitalization across smallholder farmers in all regions were observed in enhancing extension services (76.50 %), pest management (71.25 %), and accessibility of the market information (72.25 %), enhance an access to financial services (74.75 %). In sum, to promote digital technology adoption among smallholder farmers, policymakers in Tanzania and developing nations should prioritize financial inclusion through tailored microfinance programs, educational initiatives must integrate digital literacy, enhance extension services, subsidized technology access, and encouraging public-private partnerships to create incentives for sustainable agricultural development.

Blockchain Application in Fishery Supply Chain

With 1.07% of the country's overall GDP coming from fishing, the fishing industry has huge significance in India. The supply chain and overall exports to foreign nations will be improved by revolutionizing this sector of the economy. Consumers are nowadays very much concerned about their health and in knowing about the quality of the goods they purchase or consume, particularly when it comes to nutrition. Fish must be consumed within a certain time frame and under the right circumstances because it is a perishable food. The government officials must also keep an eye on illicit fishing, which is another serious problem that disrupts ecosystems in many different places. In other words, consumers, the government, and society in general demand transparency throughout the entire value chain of fish products. In this research, the use of blockchain using Ethereum-based smart contracts to trace fish packages back and forth throughout the entire fisheries value chain is explored.

LIBS‐ConSort: Development of a sensor‐based sorting method for construction and demolition waste

AbstractA joint project of partners from industry and research institutions approaches the challenge of construction and demolition waste (CDW) sorting by investigating and testing the combination of laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) with near‐infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and visual imaging. Joint processing of information (data fusion) is expected to significantly improve the sorting quality of various materials like concrete, main masonry building materials, organic components, etc., and may enable the detection and separation of impurities such as SO3‐cotaining building materials (gypsum, aerated concrete, etc.)Focusing on Berlin as an example, the entire value chain will be analyzed to minimize economic / technological barriers and obstacles at the cluster level and to sustainably increase recovery and recycling rates.The objective of this paper is to present current progress and results of the test stand development combining LIBS with NIR spectroscopy and visual imaging. In the future, this laboratory prototype will serve as a fully automated measurement setup to allow real‐time classification of CDW on a conveyor belt.

Decarbonisation and preservation of natural resources along the cement and concrete value chain

AbstractThere are major challenges which the cement industry in Germany and the entire cement and concrete value chain are facing in their quest for climate neutrality and preservation of natural resources. The studies on decarbonisation and resource conservation recently published by VDZ underline the claim of German cement manufacturers to actively promote decarbonisation and to further significantly reduce the use of primary raw materials in the value chain of cement and concrete. Within the context of a 2050 scenario, various potentials for decarbonisation and resource conservation are being identified and quantified. In addition, the necessary prerequisites and action strategies for implementing the savings potential are explained.

The link between MiFID and Risk Appetite Framework as an application of best practices for wealth management and the entire value chain of the financial industry

After a short review of the MiFID regulations and the RAF, the paper identifies the link between them which allows to mitigate a balance sheet risk sustained by the financial intermediary and, at the same time, to improve its stability and value creation, through a maximization of customer loyalty. The client’s attitude towards risk can be summarized in these terms: "I don't like risk, but I like to win". Thus, a three-dimensional approach towards expected utility is suggested for estimating risk tolerance: risk aversion, loss aversion and reflection. In addition, a definition of the client's financial objectives is required, combined with greater disclosure - which allows the construction of a financial statement – to attest that risk-taking is indeed a luxury, as indicated by the metrics of the discretionary wealth ratio, and therefore, of the Standard of Living Risk (SLR). The next step consists in the determination of a set of portfolios along the efficient frontier where risk is represented by the expected shortfall, the determination of which belongs to a Generalized Extreme Value Theory logic. The client's objectives are described in terms of probability of success, where the latter is a function of an initial endowment, a potential positive contribution of financial resources over time as well as an expected return level. The above is expressed through a practical case that envisages the determination of a set of EGPF portfolios and the identification of the specific portfolio, obtained as a solution to a static and dynamic optimization problem, where the objectives have been formalized through the calculation of the associated utility

Einsatz von KI-basierten Anwendungen durch Krankenhauspersonal: Aufgabenprofile und Qualifizierungsbedarfe

ZusammenfassungHintergrundKünstliche Intelligenz (KI) hat für Krankenhäuser wesentlich an Bedeutung gewonnen. Um die umfangreichen Potenziale der Technologie tatsächlich nutzen zu können, sind Anpassungen bei Aufgabenprofilen sowie zielgerichtete Qualifizierungsmaßnahmen für das Krankenhauspersonal heute und in Zukunft unabdingbar. Davon sind sowohl medizinische als auch nichtmedizinische Prozesse entlang der gesamten Wertschöpfungskette im Krankenhaus betroffen. Ziel der Arbeit ist es, einen Überblick über die notwendigen Fähigkeiten im Umgang mit intelligenten Technologien im klinischen Kontext zu geben und Maßnahmen zur Qualifizierung von Mitarbeiter*innen vorzustellen.MethodenIm Rahmen des Projekts „SmartHospital.NRW“ wurden im Jahr 2022 eine Literaturrecherche sowie Interviews und Workshops mit Expert*innen durchgeführt. KI-Technologien und Anwendungsfelder wurden identifiziert.ErgebnisseZentrale Ergebnisse umfassen veränderte und neue Aufgabenprofile, identifizierte Synergien und Abhängigkeiten zwischen den einzelnen Aufgabenprofilen sowie die Notwendigkeit eines umfassenden interdisziplinären und interprofessionellen Austauschs beim Einsatz von KI-basierten Anwendungen im Krankenhaus.DiskussionUnser Beitrag zeigt, dass Krankenhäuser frühzeitig Kompetenzen im Bereich Digital Health Literacy in der Belegschaft fördern und gleichzeitig technikaffines Personal anwerben müssen. Interprofessionelle Austauschformate sowie ein begleitendes Changemanagement sind essenziell für die Nutzung von KI im Krankenhaus.

Lean-circular maturity model (LCMM) for companies' self-assessment in terms of process, product and life cycle thinking

Rapidly diagnosing the status of resource efficiency and waste generation throughout the entire value chain is considered one of the key future advancements towards achieving more sustainable production. This study aimed to develop and implement a self-assessment tool to assist companies in decision-making processes for establishing circular flows based on the principles of Lean Manufacturing (LM) and Circular Economy (CE). The self-assessment tool employed a maturity model comprising several stages, which were designed through a combination of design science research and scenario planning. The Lean-Circular Maturity Model (LCMM) consisted of maturity levels ranging from 0 to 4, assessing strategies such as Resource Efficiency, Energy Management, Water and Wastewater Management, Materials and Solid Waste Management, and Chemicals and Emissions Management. The model was applied to nine companies varying in sector, size, region, and nationality. Their engagement in LM, and CE, differed, as did their strategy maturity metrics. Primary sector companies showed higher maturity in water-waste and chemical-emissions management. Larger enterprises focused on these strategies, with nuances based on region. The main findings indicated that 66% of the companies sought cleaner alternatives prior to mapping their production processes, which could lead to errors in planning and prioritizing improvement actions. Furthermore, 61% of the companies lacked sufficient training and employee awareness regarding the efficient utilization of resources. The absence of comprehensive actions to manage the life cycle of products throughout the value chain emerged as the primary barrier identified. To address these gaps, the LCMM offers a set of tailored recommendations for each company to enhance processes, products, and the value chain based on the final score obtained from utilizing the LCMM self-assessment tool.